Beijing and Bangkok agree to high-speed railway linking the two countries
Bangkok (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Thailand and China have agreed to proceed with rail connections that will connect the two countries through neighbouring Laos. The planned links aim to enhance rising trade flows sparked by the new China-Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN) free-trade agreement and facilitate with modern infrastructure the region’s move towards a common ASEAN market.
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva emphasized his government's plans for new logistical and infrastructure projects, with rail expenditures prominent among them. He said in a speech that his government had approved a framework for Thailand-China cooperation in building a high-speed train route connecting Thailand's poor northeastern region through the Thai border town of Nong Khai to China.
The plan also calls for high-speed routes connecting Nong Khai to Bangkok and then eastwards to the industrially driven Thai Eastern Seaboard, with a third line linking the capital to the country's southern region near the Malaysian border at Padang Basar.
“These high-speed trains will not only facilitate the rapid movement of goods and people, but will provide even more benefits to Thailand once ASEAN becomes a single market and Thailand becomes a stronger production base for the Economic Community," Abhisit said.
“The three confirmed routes will connect to a conventional railway China is building to its southern border and across Laos. Beijing has provided concessional loans for that link, although no sums or timetables have been mentioned for the project, which will go from Vientiane, the Laotian capital, to Boten near the Chinese border in Luang Namtha province in northern Laos,” Laotian sources said. The link should be up and working within five years, they added.
Once these missing links are in place, China's existing rail network will become connected to Thailand and eventually onward south to Malaysia and Singapore. Beijing believes it all can be done within three years; Thai politicians are more cautious.
In the meantime, some 64,000 Chinese workers are already working on railway construction in Laos.
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